Wrath of Kahn - Rick

Wrath of Kahn - Rick Kahn - the person who arguably put Norm Coleman in the Senate - is finally "breaking the silence".

Kahn - who was the treasurer for the late Senator's 2002 re-election campaign - is infamous for his speech at Paulapalooza the Wellstone Memorial service last fall. His hystericial call to the assembled Republicans to work for Walter Mondale and for the enactment of Wellstone's agenda kicked off a three-hour orgy of under-the-radar campaigning, carried live as "news" on statewide TV and radio. National revulsion for the tacky display hurt, perhaps (but not certainly) fatally, Walter Mondale's bid to replace Wellstone.

Now, Kahn is talking to KARE11's Kerri Miller.

For the interview, which was conducted Tuesday, Miller had Kahn, who was Wellstone's campaign treasurer and close friend, watch his speech, something she says he hadn't done for months. "What he told me was that when he sat down to write it, he was physically exhausted and numb and that as he wrote it, he felt Paul's presence."

That, I can believe.

Whatever Wellstones virtues, he was an amazingly irritating public speaker. His voice reminded me of Richard Simmons, and his style did nothing to alter that perception. At his worst - like at the last DFL convention - he was a nightmare; shrieking, bellowing, pulling out every cheap device to rouse the rabble, waving his arms like (sorry about the unfortunate comparison) Lenin at the Train Station. It worked for him, of course - he was nothing if not a live wire.

It didn't work for Kahn.

Here's the most interesting question:

Does Kahn say anything conclusive about whether any major Democrat vetted the speech prior to delivery?

"He addresses that," Miller said, coyly. "But I'm not going to give everything away here."

Guess we'll have to watch, d'ya think?

Posted by Mitch at May 8, 2003 07:18 AM